In a final hearing before Hunter Biden’s trial on gun charges in Delaware, a judge made key rulings regarding the evidence that will be presented during the proceedings starting on June 3. The judge allowed contents from a laptop left at a Delaware repair shop by Hunter Biden, as well as evidence of his drug use, to be shown. Hunter Biden’s attorneys argued that some material on the laptop is not authentic, but prosecutors claimed they have not presented evidence of this to the court. The laptop was provided to the FBI by a computer repair shop owner in 2019, who also gave a copy of the data to Rudy Giuliani. Hunter Biden sued Giuliani for hacking data from his laptop last September, but the lawsuit remains unresolved.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika handed both sides wins during the pre-trial conference, allowing Hunter Biden’s attorneys to raise some issues with the laptop evidence at trial. However, she sided with prosecutors on the need to prove Hunter Biden’s drug use when he purchased a gun in 2018. Prosecutors must show that he was using or addicted to drugs around the time of the purchase, rather than proving drug use on the exact day of the gun purchase, as argued by the defense. Special counsel David Weiss has alleged that Hunter Biden unlawfully purchased and kept a revolver, making false statements on a gun purchase form. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to the gun charges, which were filed in Delaware.
The judge also ruled in Hunter Biden’s favor on certain issues, prohibiting prosecutors from mentioning his tax case in California, child support case in Arkansas, discharge from the Navy, or his “extravagant lifestyle.” However, they may discuss how he paid for drugs. The trial is scheduled to begin on June 3 after a federal appeals court rejected Hunter Biden’s bid to dismiss the charges. During the hearing, Hunter Biden’s attorney noted a discrepancy on the gun purchase form that he allegedly signed, suggesting that new information was added to the digital version of the form after the criminal investigation began. The defense raised questions about the credibility of the gun store employees who filled out the form.
Prosecutors argued that the discrepancy was not relevant, as the crime was complete when Hunter Biden signed the certification on the form. They anticipate up to 12 witnesses to testify during the trial, while the defense may call a few witnesses, including experts. The trial is expected to last about two weeks. Some issues, such as Hunter Biden’s potential testimony, were not decided during the hearing, leaving open the possibility that he may take the stand in his own defense as the case progresses. Hunter Biden’s defense attorneys suggested that his potential testimony would depend on how the case unfolds.
